Highlights:
- The startup’s objectives and AI focus remain uncertain, but its website boldly asserts a mission to “understand the true nature of the universe.”
- One of the co-founders of xAI stated in a tweet that the company will center its efforts on the mathematical aspects of deep learning while striving to develop a “theory of everything for large neural networks.”
In a recent announcement, Elon Musk shared that he has founded a new artificial intelligence startup called xAI Corp. This company is set to enter a competitive landscape, going head-to-head with industry leaders such as OpenAI LP (the maker of ChatGPT) and Google LLC, among others.
The startup’s objectives and AI focus remain uncertain, but its website boldly asserts a mission to “understand the true nature of the universe.”
The startup takes pride in its team, which includes accomplished individuals from prestigious companies like Google Research, OpenAI, Microsoft Research, Twitter Inc., DeepMind Inc., and Tesla Inc.
In April, the Financial Times initially reported Musk’s AI ambitions, stating his intention to develop an LLM to compete with OpenAI’s GPT-4. The report further mentioned that Musk obtained many graphics processing units from Nvidia Corp., essential for training cutting-edge LLMs. Musk shared details about his upcoming AI tool, TruthGPT, in an interview with Fox News Channel. He expressed his belief that several prominent AI entities have focused on “politically incorrect” AI systems.
Interestingly, Musk was among the early supporters of OpenAI, whose ChatGPT model played a significant role in popularizing generative AI across households. The influence of ChatGPT is capable of engaging in humanlike, in-depth discussions on nearly any subject, has been tremendously significant. Since its introduction in the past year, this technology has gained popularity for various applications, including aiding students with homework, facilitating customer service tasks, supporting coders, and more.
Despite Musk’s prior involvement, his relationship with OpenAI turned sour, and he has not contributed to their accomplishments. Lately, he has been critical of ChatGPT, alleging a liberal bias and advocating for the development of a “TruthGPT” instead.
The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, has expressed criticism regarding the close association between OpenAI and Microsoft Corp. Elon Musk stated in a recent interview, “It does seem weird that something can be a nonprofit, open-source and somehow transform itself into a for-profit, closed source.”
Dan Hendrycks, the Executive Director of the Center for AI Safety, a nonprofit that drafted an open letter signed by numerous tech leaders advocating for a pause in AI development, will guide Musk’s company. Musk himself was among the signatories of the letter. To date, the letter has amassed over 33,000 signatures.
Charles King, an analyst at Pund-IT Inc., acknowledged Musk’s ability to assemble a highly skilled and exceptional team for xAI. King also highlighted Musk’s ambitious goal of building a “maximum truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe.” Nevertheless, he predicted that the company might face challenges surpassing its well-established competitors.
Kind stated, “What xAI has done pales compared to the billions of dollars in investments, the hundreds of AI researchers, and the massive computing resources that some companies, including Microsoft, Google, IBM, and many others, are leveraging to build generative AI. Considering xAI’s current condition and the state of the competition, it’s difficult to take Musk’s announcement seriously.”
Greg Yang, listed as one of the co-founders of xAI along with Musk, stated in a tweet that the company will center its efforts on the mathematical aspects of deep learning while striving to develop a “theory of everything for large neural networks.” The goal is to take Artificial Intelligence “to the next level,” Yang added. The company intends to share further details about its plans during a live Twitter Spaces chat scheduled for Friday.